Jeff Rice died under mysterious circumstances while traveling in Uganda.

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Former "Amazing Race" producer Jeff Rice's mysterious death has his family puzzled.

Updated at 5:27 AM PDT on Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012

Jeff Rice, a producer who worked on such shows as "The Amazing Race" and Animal Planet's "Whale Wars," was found dead Wednesday while working in Uganda. Rice's brother-in-law, Paul Blackman, told MSNBC that the family was originally told that Rice was poisoned.

The 39-year-old producer's assistant also fell ill during the trip and was hospitalized.

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"We've sent people up there to get some answers," Blackman said. "Nothing is finalized yet.

Blackman went on to add that the family isn't certain about the cause of death at this point. "I don't know where they are getting this 'definitely poisoned' thing."

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"There's so much stuff in the air about possible poisoning, all that kind of stuff," Blackman said. "At the moment, we're trying to get Jeff's body out of there to get some answers."

Although originally from Oklahoma, Rice moved to South Africa over 10 years ago and held dual citizenship.